Essential Careers

A career path devoting to servicing mental health patients is a challenging and rewarding sector of health care. Patients are of all ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Some suffer from clinical disorders, others from the consequences of traumatic events in their lives or of long-term problems at home, in school, or at work. Careers described in this practical guide include psychiatrist, psychologist, mental health counselor, social worker, counselor in behavioral disorders, rehabilitation counselor, psychiatric technician, and aide, among related vocations. Some careers require medical degrees, others only a high school diploma with postsecondary training.